The U.S. Senate on Wednesday quickly dismissed two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The chamber voted mostly along party lines, 51-48, to toss out the first article of impeachment, deeming it unconstitutional, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted “present.” The Senate killed the second article, 51-49, with Murkowski joining all other Republicans to vote against it.
In a narrow 214-213 vote in February, the Republican-controlled House impeached Mayorkas on two counts: “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” and breaching the public trust by maintaining the U.S.-Mexico border is secure. Republicans contend that Mayorkas’ failure to stem the flow of migrants crossing into the U.S. illegally marks a violation of his constitutional duty and merits his removal from office. Most experts consider the charges to stem from policy disputes rather than a “high crime or misdemeanor.”
However, with Democrats controlling the Senate and some moderate Republicans not backing a conviction, Mayorkas was all but guaranteed to be acquitted.
Senators were briefly sworn in to serve as jurors for an impeachment trial, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) proposed rules for a speedy trial, including the option for a quick acquittal after about two hours of debate instead of bringing the impeachment articles to a committee or calling in witnesses.
